Only good news to report :-) 

My dad has been taking these new pills, the same thing that Sen Kennedy has been treated with. They seem to be working so far!  :-)  The doctor told my dad at his appointment yesterday that he didn't think there had been any new growth and he didn't want to see him again for a month.  I think that's good news!

Things at work are going really well.  I have about 120 students this year (compared to 170 last year) and my students are A-MAZ-ING.  I have really been blessed with some great kids.  My all-freshmen classes are by far my favorite, and they know it.  They are good kids, bright, and have a work ethic that is just out the roof.  They haven't yet been corrupted by the upper-classmen and their bad work habits.  I'm trying to keep it that way. :-)

Also off to a good start are my Master's classes.  I'm in the cohort through State and we meet once a week from 4pm to 10pm.  I'm glad it's only once a week instead of 3 hours twice a week. We meet in Snger, so right after work I head over to the District Office for class.  The profs drive out there and teach classes in our board room.  It's really convenient, and saves us all (the students) on mileage, gas, and parking expenses.  I also am enjoying the fact that I'm taking the classes with other teachers that I work with.  It helps to have several people I know in the classes, to keep me accountable to doing my work, and to know that we are all going through this together. 

Twice a week after school I'm also teaching adult ed.  I wasn't going to, but when Mark comes home I will need to pay two rents and still pay for some wedding things, so this extra money is a necessity.  It makes for a really long week, with late nights, but I also value my free time so much more now, and I'm so much more careful about how I spend that time.

Mark will be home in about half a month.  :-)  I'm trying to get things ready for him to live in the apartment, and that is taking up most of that little bit of free time that I was just talking about.  When my sister moves out, the real work will begin.  In the meantime, I'm just deep-cleaning everything (kitchen, baths, living room, etc) and going through some old paperwork that has been hanging around my closet since college. :-)  I'm running out of time, but I'm still hopeful I will be able to get everything done in time!

Mark is in port this weekend. He called me this afternoon and we talked for over an hour! His phone bill is going to be ridiculous this month, but it'll be the last one for years! And I tried to get off the phone...but it was so hard. :-) I kept saying "I should probably let you go..." and we'd agree to get off the phone, but then one of us would bring up something else and we'd end up talking for ten more minutes. lol. Man, I miss him so much. I hadn't talked to him for two weeks, but it felt like months. It was so nice to finally hear his voice and to hear him laugh--if only I could see the smile on his face to go along with the laugh! Soon, VERY soon! It's great to know that his homecoming is just around a few more corners. :-)

Have a great weekend, friends--and go 'Dogs!!

30 days.

That's all I have to say. :-) 

Okay, not really.  

This past weekend was great!!  Ashley had her 30th birthday party in Ktown Saturday morning.  It was so fun!  A whole table-full of ADX alum were there, and it was great to catch up with old friends that I haven't seen in a while.  Kristin was even in town from VA!!  I miss my VA friend. Too bad I have to wait until Thanksgiving for her to be back in town again. :-(

After the party I had to head out to Lemoore.  We had the big First Kiss drawing at the FRG meeting.  The FRG had been advertising it for months.  Whoever won the raffle would win the grand prize of having their husband off the plane in Lemoore or the ship in SDiego FIRST (hence, giving them the First Kiss) before all the other guys in the squadron.  WOW!   Wives could buy raffle tickets or just show up at events and "earn" one with their presence.  

I had "earned" four.  

But before the deadline to buy tickets passed, I went ahead and bought 20 more.  Why not?  I figured I would share them with Amanda and Kristy, my two Navy wife friends. :-)  So, Amanda and I went to the meeting (Kristy had to work), and I split my 20 tickets with her.  The FRG Pres chose the two winners for the drawing--one for SDiego and one for Lemoore.  Neither of us won. :-(  But then they chose four other people from each group to win gift cards.  Amanda and I both were chosen to win the gift cards--she won with a ticket I gave her! Yay! Well...then they said that we could keep the gift cards or choose a "second option".  I chose the other option...Amanda chose the gift card...and they told us that if we chose the other option then we would get a First Kiss too!  That means Mark is going to be one of the first guys off the plane when they come home! Yay!! 

So, then they pulled the gift card bag out and showed it to the girls who wanted the gift card option, and it was empty. :-( We thought Amanda wasn't going to win anything (because she chose a gift card), but then they said that those people who opted for the gift cards would win First Kisses too!! So, they tricked us, and they really had FIVE first kiss winners from SD and FIVE from Lemoore. So both Mark AND Carl (Amanda's hubby) are going to be two of the first five guys off the plane.  :-)  SO EXCITING!! 

Apparently when FRG Pres asked the CMC (Command Master Chief) for one guy to get off the plane and ship first for the First Kiss prize, he said he could do better than that, and said he would give us FIVE from each location.  Yippeeeee!!! I like that CMC guy...someone needs to give HIM a kiss for us! :-)

I'll write more and update you on life soon. :-)  My plate isn't full right now...it's about to overflow!  Keep me in your prayers!